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Monday, November 30, 2015

Sinaloa: 2 bodies discovered in torched van may be missing Australian surfers

Lucio R. Borderland Beat

Click on this or any image to enlarge

Lucas and Cox

On November 21, there
was a report in local media that at around 10:30am In the vicinity of Juan
Aldama (El Tigre) Navolato, around 10:30 am, a van was discovered torched to
complete destruction and inside were two deceased persons.

At the time other than
the vehicle being a Chevrolet step up van without license plates, officials
said it was unknown how the event occurred or the identification of the
victims.

Inside the van was
found a grill and canned food, speculation and rumor replaced solid facts and
information. It wasn’t until five
days later that Mexican authorities pooled facts together and concluded the
victims found in the van were most likely Australian natives, Canadian
residents Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, both 33, travelling in Mexico on a
surfing trip and to visit friends.

Last heard from the
day before the discovery

On the day prior two
Edmonton Canada residents who went on a road trip to Mexico to surf and visit
friends were last heard from and now are feared missing or worse after family
lost contact with them for over a week now.

Dean Lucas and Adam
Coleman, both Australian nationals who have lived in Edmonton during the summer
construction season for the past several years,
left for Mexico in a 1992 Chevrolet van on Sept. 28 from Alberta.

“They’re incredibly
keen surfers, very talented surfers. They love finding waves all around the
world … I know they’ll be trying to find random waves. But I don’t think that’s
what they were doing,” said Lucas’s girlfriend Josie Cox, from Edmonton, on
Saturday. “I think they were trying to make their way to Guadalajara, like they
planned.” Cox was meeting Lucas in Guadalajara.

Coleman and Gomez

Both men are
experienced travelers who have been to Mexico multiple times and speak Spanish.The men remained in
contact with their friends in Edmonton via text, email, and Facebook as they
travelled through the United States and into Mexico. But Cox says the last day
she heard from Lucas was Nov. 20, the day of their three-year-anniversary, and
the day before the Chevi Van was found with the two bodies in Sinaloa.

The men were boarded a ferry from La Paz to Topolobampo, then were scheduled to drive to
Guadalajara, arriving on Nov. 21. Lucas assured his girlfriend he would have an
Internet connection once he reached the big city.Mr Coleman’s girlfriend
Andrea Gomez, of Guadalajara, was expecting her boyfriend on the 21st.

“They’re such good guys
and such good people and they’re really respectful of us and their family …. I
definitely don’t doubt that something has happened, something that we should be
worried about, which is exactly why I’m here,” said Cox, about her public
campaign to find the men.

Cox has been trying to
spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, and other media to glean more
information. She flew to Guadalajara on Sunday.

“If (anyone) has any
information, I would really encourage them, if they want to be anonymous, to
contact the (Australian) embassy (in Mexico) or myself. I’m on Facebook (link to her FB page here) and any
lead that we get, we’re following up, even if we don’t think it’s completely
relevant,” she said. “I’m happy to sit there all night, 24 hours a day on my
laptop, answering queries, and following things up, and calling people, if
that’s what it needs.”

At the Edmonton airport Sunday, waiting to board the
Mexico bound aircraft, Ms. Cox posted this face book message:

Friends of Lucas and
Coleman have most recently been hit with the report from a Mexican news agency
that a burnt-out van with two bodies had been found in Sinaloa state. The story
said that authorities are investigating and that it appears the van had been
used as a camper.

But Cox stressed there
is no confirmed connection between the Australians and the news story. The
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade could not be reached on
Saturday to confirm their involvement in the search for Lucas and Coleman.

The men grew up
together in Australia and have both been travelling the world for years.
Coleman started working the construction season in Edmonton four years ago, but
would travel to warmer spots in the off-season. Two years ago, his friend Lucas
joined him for the Edmonton construction season.

Cox, who is British,
has known Lucas since 2012, when they met in India. They stayed in touch that
year, and eventually met up again — in Mexico.

“Dean is shy, he takes
a step back… he’s a listener. He’s really calm, very sensible in situations
like this. He likes to have a good time but he has a good head on his shoulders
and a really good upbringing,” Cox said of her boyfriend, who is 33.

His friend, Coleman, is
“the complete opposite, in a good way,” Cox said. “He’s the life of the party,
he makes everyone laugh. His stories are unbelievable — literally unbelievable
sometimes… They really are a good match, this is why they’re good friends.”

Coleman's mother seems to have given up all hope as she posted this message on Facebook

The friends set out in
a van they had refurbished for the cross-continent trip. They put on new tires,
outfitted the van with a kitchen, and had it insured with Alberta license
plates. It had a distinctive red replacement door that friends teased them
would make the van impossible to sell again.

It was the first time
Coleman, 33, had owned a vehicle.

“He’s always been a traveler
and surfer and skateboarder,” said friend Chris Coutu, on Saturday.

Adam and his mother Zena 1 yr ago

The last text that
Lucas sent to his friend Taylor Holbrook was to ask a favor, to buy flowers and
chocolate for his girlfriend in Edmonton. Canadian news outlets report Lucas
had intended to propose to Cox when together next.

“We are in La Paz in
Baja about to get the ferry over to the mainland,” Lucas wrote. “Mate, can you
do me a huge favor if you are seeing Josie tomorrow… if by any chance you are
seeing her and are passing a store, I would be incredibly grateful if you could
pick her up choc. and flowers?… Wish ya were here with the boys in the van —
grubby desert living with fun as waves!!”

Ms Gomez said her
partner was planning to move to Mexico and she had been looking forward to
reuniting with him after three months apart. She said she had been left
heartbroken and her “soul was shattered”.

“My soul is shattered,”
she says while hanging on to hope, “this event will completely change my life,”
she said.

Mexican authorities are
conducting DNA studies for a positive identification of the bodies. Ms. Gomez gave a lock of Coleman’s dreadlock
styled hair to Mexican authorities, for DNA studies.

Material used to write this post is from: BB's
"Canadiana", and "Choco", National Post, Sydney Herald, El
Debate, Perth Now

149 comments:

This is sad but is going to be frustrating. Firstly even going to Culiacan could be dangerous let alone the countryside so I don't understand why they would go there. Second the media in Australia is already all over this story now but we never get any reports when Mexicans get chopped to bits!

Totally correct. It's big news here in Australia but other than events such as Chapo escaping we get no real news about the every day murders and disappearances of the Mexican people. Even this story will soon drift out of the news in a week or so to be forgotten

OK please forgive my utterly outrageous statement here but I go out on a limb, tounge in cheek and say should USA invade MX?? It's a failed state and totally out of all control. The normal, good MX people are subjected to relentless criminality and corruption, living in fear 24/7. 13,000 of them murdered each year. Billions in drugs trafficked through MX to USA. Don't people of MX need some help? The corruption goes to the highest levels. Its a war zone from what I see. Send 150,000-200,000 US military there to take over. ANYONE carrying assault rifle or hand gun is arrested and if resisting, liquidated. ANYONE with trafficking qtties of meth, coke, heroin is jailed for 20 years. Build super jails - create employment. Take the cartels' billions to rehab MX addicts and fund jails. Aotodefensas or citizens can keep pump shotgun only for safety/hunting ...not deadly auto weapons like AR/AK/G3. They invaded Panama for less : basically just Noriega. Why not MX? Liberate the MX people. OR alternatively MX people - you must stage a revolution and bring your government down !! Your Govt is the problem!! A new state is needed.

9:47 FOR THE UPTEENTH TIME, NO THANKS!!!The cartels get a lot of weapons for the arms dealers on the US to get some a lot of all that drug money, and to keep the "mexican narcs" killing each other, the AD have never been supplied by the US unless they want to, exactly!create a need for more than necessary arms buys by the mexican governing narco-mierdocracia to defend themselves and restore the STATE'S RIGHT and THE RULE OF LAW and send innocent people to their maker to pick the good ones...--Without blaming all of the american people because they get kept in the dark by their own media, I recommend youses to see: George Galloway's reports on youtube on many of them he blames american stupidity for all the bad things happening all over on the Arab countries, and their pet non oil producing but many many US billion dollars siphoning ISRAEL, who help fuel the fires of war with the reckless abandon of a little settler's gangster state, which is all they are after all, in posession of the amerikkkan purse, nuclear bombs, and weapons...all in well kept secret, in the dark, behind our backs...Mr George Galloway, no saddam hussein fan, has always been against the war and interventions that have cost the Iraqi people millions of dead and millions of displaced, all because of a US invented excuse of weapons of mass destruction tion, after donald rumsfeld himself fed saddam weapons and credits to fight the ayatollah's militias, who the israelis and oliver north supplied with egg and weapons to have them murder each other to soften them for the US to come over and steal their oils, as is happening all over mexico...All the problems in mexico as all over the world originate with brittish and US pretenses of world dominance, fighting "liberalism" with "neo-liberal"drug trafficking and libertarian money laundering...--DOGS JUST NEED TO SIT, STAY, ROLL AND BEG, TO LOOK PRETTY...so, @9:47 SIT!!! FOR STARTERS...--PACIFY YOUR OWN MURDERING GOVERNMENT...

Invade and do what? Have you seen the posts on here? They think Americans are worse than cartels.. Hahah Mexican culture is rotten and won't ever change. Your a big man if you are violent or have money no matter how you got it. They idolize drug trafficers.. I grew up on the border and can say from experience Mexican culture is far different than American.

i ve been to mexico several times all of yem by myself sinaloa is offlimits even my friends in mexico dlnt even want to travel to that state much less the rual areas like that ive seen some of the most beautiful things in that country and the people are amazing for the most part

Maybe a group if weak ass hitmen with no payroll or drug connection tried to extort a ransom and then found out the victims were broke tourist and killed them.A drug Cartel wouldn't do something so stupid no profits to gain only attention from law enforcement.

Maybe the culprits are not drug dudes at all...narcos are not the only ones who commit murder.Or maybe these guys were up to No Good..ive seen LOCKED UP ABROAD enough times to know "innocent" looking people get caught up in the drug trade.

To keep others from invading their territory why else? They like to keep those areas controlled only by goons, that is how they maintain their power in those areas. I'll say drone the leaving snake outta them, it can't be that hard to spot convoys of trucks riding thru remote terrains, that is how they find ignorant folks like those two surfers.

11:32 - I believe you for sure. Hundreds of Americans/Canadians drive south from USA, or they go north when they fly to Mazatlan because there is a place where the waves break that surfers go to that is between Mazatlan and Culiacan. Only serious surfers go because there is nothing there, and for surfers like Lucas y Coleman (D.E.P.)it would be strange to surf by Navolato when best in Sinaloa is less than hour away on carretera. The cartel will catch the bandits before la policia.

7:20pm - there are two (possibly more) off-road clubs in Mazatlan and we do two trips across sierra to Durango every rainy season. We travel only off road and travel next many fields and landing areas and the people there wave at us and sometimes offer beer with us. Narco traffickers use all beaches and much of Sierra but they don't have problem with tourists and don't want to cause problems in areas they work. Also many lakes high in sierra de Sinaloa have tourists outside come to fish bass (and of course you know what is close to water) and there are no troubles. I believe this was bandito / addict of droga who maybe they give a ride to and probably not from Sinaloa

If they saw panga on beach or things like that there would be no problem. Narcos do not want militar or even worse navy patrolling beaches around Navolato! (FYI Amado Fuentes is de Navolato and this people are too smart to do murder of tourist)

I disagree with your comment. Mexico is dealing with a major narcowar right now , because of the U.S.'s and Canada's drug appetites.In Syria, in RAQQA, not raqqua, there is a religious war of sorts and itabsolutely has nothing to do with drugs. maybe on a smaller scale,however, crude oil is the main money source for daesh (ISIS).

two entirely different worlds, my friend and a very pathetic comparison....

Really? I was in Patzcuaro and Mx City for some time and thought it was the most amazing culture I have ever visited. The Mexican people are so hard working and generous. I say visit, but don't be stupid.

@ 11:03......Check your facts,Mexico has a big domestic drug problem as well. Heroin, and meth use is going up every year in Mexico. also those pussy ass fighters in Syria are tweaking on speed pills.They are a bunch of losers using religion as a tool. It's not just a north america drug problem.

Anyone who has gone down to Mexico and not seen any trouble and then thinks Mexico is okay to visit is a little short of brains. I've been visiting Mexico since the 60's, and I can tell you that it's much, much more dangerous than it was previously.

I visit and work in Mexico a couple of times a year (and no, not in tourist areas like the Maya Riviera or Cancun) and have never had an issue. There are definitely places and situations to avoid in MX like anywhere else-- and unfortunately driving through rural Sinaloa is probably one of those-- but the country should not be condemned and avoided, IMO. I love MX and the people I work with there are some of the best folks I know.

This just makes me sad and angry. Two fellows minding their own business go missing and are now believed to have been killed. They worked hard so they could travel and surf, they have family and loved ones whose lives will never be the same. A gypsy's curse on whoever is responsible for this senseless tragedy. Tanta pena--no hay derecho.

8:48 most mexican people work much harder, all year long, 24/7...--and barely subsist and have money for bicycles or bus fare in they carefully created and nurtured banana republic property of the US, managed by the puppet mexican governing narco-mierdocracia with the US provided gorillas paid for with US dollars with US provided weapons to Shock and Awe the mexicans into submission, a little bit more each day...--please note thar up to now it is still just a run try for "future cultural exchange"...

I've taken that ferry, it arrives at midnight. It's very near los Mochis. It's not an area you want to be driving around late at night. I'm just guessing but it appears it was a random robbery gone bad. They could had been singled out on the 6 hour ferry ride. Unfortunate and sad, Aussies are good people.

Yep! I now what you mean. Especially when we go to Bali. We always do dumb sh*t up there. On topic I also agree with you CDS or BLO whose territory they were last seen on wouldn't do this. Just some drug addict stick up boys.

10:30 "drug addict stick-up boys" do not murder and cover their tracks with fire, broke ass narcos and the poolice they work for do it all the time, soldiers and pooliticians nazional and federales used to just disappear their victims until the ayotzinapos spirits came back from nowhere to bite them on their collective ass...

I've taken it too in the late 70's. You shouldn't drive at night in Mexico. Most of the problems occur late at night/early morning. But according to reports, the van was found very far inland from Mazatlán. Hard to imagine they took the wrong road. More likely they got jacked around Mazatlán, and then shot and the van burned to hide evidence.

This is what many families have to deal every day in Mexico family members killed and are not related with the drug traffic, it takes for situations like what these two Canadian residents experienced for other countries to see how much our country is corrupt and not safe to travel by road in Mexico.Mexico keeps saying is safe to travel and visit.R.I.P.

Silencing themselves, the mexican commercial media contribute to these crimes, also the millions of dollars the mexican tourism secretary spends in pretty propaganda...Say "oh, but they lived courageously" all you want, it is a facked up way to end like that

Sad news. To any Australians who stumbled across Borderlandbeat to read this story: this is what happens in Mexico. 13,000 a murders a year which averages to about 30 a day. A government which is implicit in crime and a drugs policy which aids the cartels. Your two boys got caught in the middle of a mixture of poverty and lawlessness which drives the high crime rate. There is room for Mexico to grow into a great country, but not while things remain as they do.

Mexico lacks a government that cares about its people. Instead elite politicians make deals with foreign nations and companies to deplete Mexico's natrual resources. Mexico needs a higher minimum wage no one can actually live decent with their pay rate.Unfortunately unskilled workers are not allowed to be paid higher wages by the company because Mexico will not allow it.If I were to go to Mexico and work using my skills and knowledge I would barely make 4 times the minimum wage. That's enough to rent a decent apartment in a decent area of Mexico and ride the bus to work and eat basic home cooked meals. When in USA doing the same job I can rent a condo in a sky scrapper eat at semi fancy restaurants regularly and drive a mid size luxury vehicle.

Survival of the fittest isn't the most handsome or most wealthy or most physically fit. It's about being fit enough to survive. I promise if you worked 160-200 hours a month and lived in a shack with 3 other people and every one was hungry you would lose religion and dedicate 160-200 hours a month as a criminal if the pay was 10 times what you make.Feel blessed and be thankful that in USA we live in this bubble of ignorance and security. Instead we have first world problems that we can barely deal with like what clothes to wear or gadget to buy and idiots driving while they talk or flat out just endanger others with their lack of reality.As my friend put it."THIS?! WTF THIS?! THIS IS WHAT I FOUGHT FOR? THIS IS WHAT I WENT TO WAR FOR? SO AMERICANS CAN BE FREE TO HATE ME FOR THE COLOR OF MY SKIN? FOR THESE STUPID BITXHES THAT HAVE EVERYTHIG HANDED TO THEM TO LOOK DOWN ON ME CAUSE I DO HARD LABOR? FUCK THIS PLACE I FEEL SAFER OVERSEAS WITH PEOPLE THAT KNOW WHAT REALITY IS AND KNOW HOW TO FIGHT"

6:11I think your right. Especially in Sinaloa nowadays many people have said that they see death as commonplace so they just don't think about it. It's the only way to survive especially in places like Reynosa where is insane ATM.

it is beyond stupid to compare tragedies. why do it? BB writes of Mexican injustice against its people day in and day out, rightly so, but that does not take away from other crimes against humanity. I have lived in Mexico for 21 years, not all cities or areas are living with unusual levels of crime of threat. many places are safer than US. so stop the comparisons each time. your ignorance is glowing.

You are exactly right 5:05. US citizens and even Resident Aliens have 10 times the amount of rights in the US as Mexicans in Mexico. So there is absolutely no comparison. In most states it is legal to not only carry handguns but long guns in your vehicle when traveling. In majority of violent cases in the US the victim has a better chance of defending themselves than in Mexico. There is not much of chance of defending yourself while you get kidnapped by the Mexican Po-lice and handed over to the local cartel. Is there?

Mexico needs to check all police and military, They all steel all over mexicoI was over Culiacan going to Nayarit in a bus and could not believe Military was trying to steel from a caouple of us specially older people but they stop ones i told them we where coming from Culiacan not sure why but he did tell me to get back in to the bus but they did keep two guys going to el D.F. Crazy i missed the old Mexico.

If by "drug dudes in Sinaloa" you mean members of the Sinaloa Cartel (Cartel de Sinaloa, or CDS): there is no indication in anything that I've read related to this story that indicates it was cartel members.

One of the scary things about Mexico currently is that there's been an explosion in domestic drug use over the past decade. Historically the country exported tons of drugs (literally) but didn't really consume much domestically, mostly just marijuana and some cocaine among the upper classes. Now, meth is *everywhere* and cheap. Tweakers (meth abusers) are a common sight in Mexico. These drug addicts perpetrate tons of crime that isn't really cartel-related. If you ask me (completely uninformed except for what I've read online), I wouldn't assume this is a cartel thing as much as these guys probably ran into some psychopath tweakers, many of whom would be glad to rob, kill and burn someone, even for a few dollars.

Mexico is very broken. The government is absurdly corrupt. If you're Australian and reading this, please follow this story. I bet that even though Australia is a first world economy and a trading partner of Mexico, Mexico won't really investigate this murder. Even if the federal govt. wanted to, to save face, the State and municipal govts. are out of their control and in cartel hands in many parts of the country. Crazy, sad situation, really.

maybe they should have known better to travel in known BLO territory withouta police or military escort.......something....anything....obviously if your tagsare from out of country, then you are in no way safe......

I am confused as to why a ransom request was not put out....obviously thereis no mention of such a ransom request. I am sure that was the kidnappersintention, but something must have happened.

more than likely, a hawk targeted them the moment they drove off of the ferryand onto the mainland. sad story. it is sad because I love Mexico, but wouldnever take my family there.

Sorry to hear about this.... Mexicans in Sinoloa don't attack foreigners / tourist. Especially in the state of Sinoloa, it's forbidden. Unfortunately this is probably a set up initiated by the tapatia Gomez lady. She told somebody about the guys and the plan took off from there. Rest assure does was not a random jack. I would question the tapatia.

Milenio reports that the Sinaloa Attorney General said it was carried out by 2 ex State Preventative Police, they are not giving a motive at this time, but confirms both Aussies were shot in the back of the head before the van was set alight.

Crime is part of the culture here. I was putting out solar yard lights the other day. Some were within a foot of my front 8 ft fence with spikes on top. My wife says those lights will be gone within a week. I told here they will be OK as we live in a nice area. Well they did not last a night. Things here that are not protected just disappear fast. When we go to El Paso and other areas we see houses with no fences, no bars on the windows. Yard lights in the front as well as other things. I would love to see it like that here in Mexico. But I do not know we will ever see that much freedom from thieves, murderers and corruption here. It is instilled in the culture here. I have lots of great and honest friends here, but that does not change what is happening. Just makes it a little more bearable. These guys had a sign on them traveling in that van with out of country plates. They probably did it many times like people do. But the odds caught up with them. When you have people that will kill someone for pocket change, they we certainly rob and kill someone they think has money and nice things like cameras and more when traveling. I feel sorry for the families. I too travel a lot, and I am worried about what might happen, as has happened to many people I know here that have run into crime on the road.

11:46 that is what you get when the front line of the sorry excuse of a "POS presidente" de Mexico chosen by the US for the mexicans is a motherfacking drug trafficking narco police that kidnap for ransom and murder to cover it up, specially because it is easier than to cover their faces...--These white eses, we're confused with güeros spying there, and the psychosis is growing, you know? Count on more victims soon if you do not stay away from mexico.--It is not easy or cheap making a new entrance to the maximum security prisons of mexico...--and if you saw the one "they" are making to the national palace of the Palacio Nazional and the one under the Congress chambers, you would fall backwards right in the pooopó...

5:37 I swear you paid and bought your shit back, do not be 'ffraid, confess, that is pragmatism, quicker and cheaper...But think, if cars were barcoded, everybody would pay once daily a little kickbacks and nobody else would be facking around with them, you could call it right of way payment, instead of getting facked up all the time by everybody...

Lamely blames mexican circus, I mean circumstances on "things", says mexico is better off than brazil, but almost as good as "chile"...as if chile was such a good example of a recovering economy under the pinochetazo and pinochetism, also puts down the venezuelan economy without mention of the mysterious WHY is venezuela's economy the way it is, worldwide pressure to privatize venezuelan resources es, namely OIL, AND WORLD BANK, FMI and US blockades and demonizing for not agreeing to sell the country down the river...--Newsweek is still trying to make the glass look half full, mexicans like to say they just stick it half way from the middle to the rest of it, as if after you are losing in the middle, they try to make you think you are in the middle of winning...newsweek=MORE BS

Navolta is from los carrillo fuentes and next to its los mochis a strong hold for los beltran , those 2 cartels are allies and have started to extortion people and also roobed them im not saying its cartel related cause it can also be a drug deal gone wrong

Why go into a war zone knowing you look like a narc. They profiled these guys thinking they were narcs. And torched them, they used couple of gallons of gas or diseal looking at the extremity of the burn

Do you think they looked like narcs? I doubt it to be honest. I traveled in Mx alone awhile back and thinking back on it I think I was being checked out a number of times. But it's easy to feel paranoid.

It is easy to feel paranoid, even on the US, inexico all your lively hood is on the line, all the time, so what do you do when some gabachos that look like narcs from the US, which means US government poolice or detectives undercover, too white, too young and too stupid to be true...then they encounter the wrong ones that do not believe anything they have to say...Arrivederchi Rome...--It is like, what, don't they have enough waves to "surf" in Australia?

Not blaning this couple, but I always say why go to Mexico. They kill for no reason at all. Anybody and everybody. Senseless murders. Yes there were days when it was safe and you could vacation there, but not anymore. One day some country will be very upset about their citizens being killed there and seek revenge. Drug dealers should kill one another and stop killing innocent victims. Eliminate the bad not the good.

They do this to keep tourism out of the country. By doing so they keep Mexico from prospering and gaining any kind of financial stability. Tourism was Mexico's biggest money maker. Now you keep the people poor and give them no hope and you end up with a country full of starving people that will do anything for a greenback (dollar) as they call them in Mexico . So please stay out of Mexico the Country is NOT SAFE. Enter knowing your life is at risk as soon as u cross that imaginary line..border!

1:06 and who is "they"?--The mexican governing narco-mierdocracia the US chose to pick and got elected for the mexicans, because they were selling PEMEX, CFE, HEALTH, SOCIAL SECURITY, EDUCATION, mining, air rights, land and water, ecological parks national parks industrial parks, yeah, sell it all for breadcrumbs and table scraps, and fake the mexicans in the ass...but, see, the US government and their privatizing vulture capitalist friends have done their best to have it like that, and provide peña nieto with his very own gestapo, "la gendarmeria nazional", just like that of pinochet, his very own KGB, CIA, SS from good for not much else france, whose country gets sunk in shit any moment a little group of terroristas say so to pay them back for their colonialism, Arab springs, arming isis, buying cheap isis oil, and arming syrian rebels with 3 billion dollars from the Saudis, I mean, "lebanese rebels against assad"...and mexican Pancho villas against the people...

Burning is a way of dealing with the evidence, and most worried about evidence are the pooliticians, poolice and military, I remember when "governor" of Sonora Eduardo Bours ordered his male lover to burn the state warehouse that caused the guarderia ABC TRAGEDY...nobody has been arrested, questioned or investigated, but the governor got his lover killed...the governor has not been investigated and is free to do as he pleases, must have sompim' to do with powerful as corrupt manlio fabio beltrones, "la secre" aka la "fabis" ...the mexican government did not care, at any level, what are the chances of these white güeros having some real justice ever?

In the late 1980s and through the early 2000s, I would travel to the west coast of Mexico several times a year to go surfing, such a beautiful land and people, except for the bad ones. I don't go anymore.I know some of you will say that United States is more violent, but at least there will be an investigation and there is a rule of law.unlike Mexico where it seems might makes right and justice can be purchased. I miss those days traveling from one side of the country to the other enjoying sites, smells, and sounds. such a shame as I would like to take my children who are half, and with distant cousins and uncles throughoutthat God forsaken country.

I hate to say this but California surfers drive throughout Mexico daily surfing the waves up and down the coast and nothing happens. Canadians on the other hand have been getting killed down in Mexico since the drug cartel war began. Canadians go down there thinking its easy money in the drug game but they are fish out of water in Mexico and end up dead. I hate to jump to conclusions but these guys could have been up to no good.

Not sad at all, They keep telling n warning people to stay out of Mexico. Travel at your own risk! Another 2 tourists bit the dust. Time to move on. If they didn't listen to the warnings then suffer the consequences

Thousands of people travel to Mexico every year. My believe is that nationals are more at risk than tourists. Unfortunately these guys crossed paths with some brain fcked up people, most likely chapo wanna be druggies.I'm sure these free spirited guys enjoyed more their short like than any of the stupid narco cagadas of Mexico.The world would be better place if more people were like these guys.

@7:07 Einstein knew to Date and Time his Magna Operas...--that is how they discovered he was a communist, a plagiarist, a faker, and that he married his cousin...--but you poor little 7:07 leave a lot to be desired "Mr fails crashes and burns..."--we all have seen big grown men fall into the Lions dens, and babies, in spite of signs warning them to stay the hell away, but they were too eager to feed the lions.

Could have been any cartel sics (not petty crims) ... they are so immune to killing now it is just a natural thing to them, like picking daisies to us and to have a little fun with a AK butt or sledge hammer handle with a couple of gringos before liquidating them for amusement while waiting for their next proper hit is not inconceivable. Then watch the flames in the night sky. It's just normal. As for media attention brought on, it matters absolutely nothing to them. Doesn't affect them at all. They are untouchable.

The devil loves dancing in mexico.mota.coca.chiva.hielo.tequila .narcocorridos.plenty of reasons to keep him occupied down there.not all tourist are innocent victims.play with fire you get burned. Sounds fishy.

The CIA disagrees and they have the video tapes and recordings to prove it, there are many people spilling the beans about the CIA, Héctor Berrellez and Cele Castillo, two much condecorated agents would love to educate you a little bit about the who is who and what is what on the US government...and they are not the only ones, says volunteer Mike Levin...

Great reporting Lucio. First report I've seen with a map. They were last spotted in Los Mochis at an OXXO at 10:30 on the 20th asking for directions to Mazatlan and a map. The van was found not far from Culiacan. Maybe they had pulled off the road to sleep.

Im wondering if they pulled over on that remote road to sleep right where the van was found.I have heard from RVers down Baja you should always go to a campground in Mexico even so called safe areas.I have heard people near La Paz in RVs have been robbed on the beach when La Paz was safe.My friend had camped alone pitching a tent by his motorcycle and had only his shoes stolen while he was sleeping.Now he goes off the road and no lights or fires so no 1 knows hes there.

All these travelers read the lonelyplanets, etc that GREATLY downplay the dangers in the name of tourism/advertising profits, and they let these niave kids think they can travel there. Sad to see this.

I ran a hotel for 10 years, I've met single girls in their 20's who hitchhiked through 2010 Chihuahua at night w/no problems & 30 year old ex marines who didn't want to talk about what happened to them - It's all a dice roll. I used to tell them, u want to learn Spanish? Go over there, the first word u gonna learn is "agachase"

Mexico has wonderful people but unfortunately it's not safe for tourism. Do not believe everything u read on these travel forums friends, much is fake.

I doubt they were lost in Los Mochis. Rumor is they were sighted in oxxo at night in mochis, lost and looking for map. They have traveled the route before and had cell phones, they had google and maps galore on their phones, no need to stop for a map.This reminds me of Harry Devert, I am thinking if not a robbery, then they were suspected of being agents.There are 20M US entries into Mexico each year with 150k daily border crossings.In 2014 there were 100 murders of Americans in Mexico in 2014More than 130 kidnappings of U.S. citizens were reported to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico 2014Check with state department with warnings before you go, and register your itinerary with embassy

Avoid night travel outside tourist areas.

Use toll roads

Of particular safety concern are casinos, sports books, or other gambling establishments and adult entertainment establishments. U.S. government personnel are specifically prohibited from patronizing these establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit.

Sinaloa has a travel warning as follows:Sinaloa: Mazatlan is a major city/travel destination in Sinaloa - Defer non-essential travel to the state of Sinaloa except the city of MAZATLAN, WHERE YOU SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION, PARTICULARLY LATE AT NIGHT AND IN THE EARLY MORNING. One of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations is based in the state of Sinaloa, and violent crime rates remain high in many parts of the state. Travel off the toll roads in remote areas of Sinaloa is especially dangerous and should be avoided. We recommend that any travel in Mazatlan be limited to Zona Dorada and the historic town center, as well as direct routes to/from these locations and the airport. Traveling anywhere in the world is dangerous, even Disney World Fla. If you do not educate yourself on dangers before you go.

4:29Shut up! Don't you understand that this are pretty good odds?! All death is sad but it sounds like you've fallen into the western media trap where a small amount of deaths of westerns is a tradegy. Look at it logically.

Here's what's probably going to happen. The cartel will kill a couple of guys and leave w a manta saying it was them who killed the tourist. The government will stall this till everyone loses interest, and if there is too much pressure they will present pictures of the bodies holding AKs.

4:29 you don't talk like that to you know who unless you are MUY PENDEJO...--tourism supports the mexican governing narco-mierdocracia, anything that supports it sets back the clock on any improvement that could occur, and feeds the most hungry of the.mexicans, the poolice corporations and the military, and little seen private security companies that kidnap for ransom professionally as a side job that is where it is...the biiig bucks, mean..--but tourism is soo much fun, even more fun than doing business in mexico...--who cares about revolutionary non tourism?

Idiots. If its them. Its like those dumbasses that go hiking and get their ass stuck on a mountain and a blizzard is on the way. I dont get it. Love adventure, dont fear, but dont be srupid. Arent there some guys in canada connected with the cartel?? Maybe theyre not so innocent. Who knows...

Staying away from mexico is 100% safe, why take chances?And it is not a crime by any means, maybe send money to your loved ones, but that is it...money order, small amounts...Or the cashier will have you fingered for when you get out of the currency exchange...

You want to know how bad Mexico is? I used to travel to Mexico but I have not been there in over 10 years and I will probably never go back. In the meantime I have traveled all over Colombia by bus and private car with no problems whatsoever. Yes, that is what I am saying - Mexico is a million times worse than Colombia. I started traveling to Medellin in 2002 when there were 3800 murders in the city and even THEN it was safer than Mexico is now. Mexico is a land possessed by Satan himself.

Currently, it depends on where you are in Colombia. Cali, Bogota, Cartagena, pretty cool for foreigners IF they aren't trying to cop drugs to take home. You start playing with the dealers, chances are good you'll get to know a Colombian jail, a gift to the policía from the gramero.If, you're flaunting bling, you'll get ripped off. If, you have a recognizable last name, or are with a foreign company, you'll need personal security anywhere you go. Kidnappings are a Colombian sport. Right now, though, Colombia is somewhat safer than Mexico.

Chivis, like I said in the earlier post, I took that ferry and it was late when I got there. This was about three years ago and the area was very hot. I headed straight to the Best Western, damn the cost. No way was I going anywhere until the next day. Los Mochis was a ghost town at that hour. I can tell you the road to Mazatlan is a two land road for miles. It's anybody's guess what went down but a van loaded with surfboards is not that uncommon crossing the ferry. They could had taken one of the other two ferrys that dock in Mazatlan but the ferry trip Is twice as long and twice as expensive. I got to believe it was random, the Aussies had experience.

People don't go to Mexico for surfing...not judging these surfers but seems like they were possibly trying to score n ran into the wrong people to be honestMy prayers go out to them and there loved ones but sometimes its best to think shit out 100% first

I feel sorry for these two friends to go to a wonderful place and lose their lives to what we will never know for sure.Its to bad but mexico isn't the mexico it was 40 years ago. My condolences to the friends and family R.I.P.

It's sad what happened to this people but before we start talking bad about Mexico let's not forget this happens all over the world yes even in the u.s.a. how many people get killed for no reason or killed after getting rob or how many serial killers have we had in the u.s.a. this thing that happened it happens every where sad but true

Mexican paisas in the usa die at a farther rate than gringos in mexico, paisas are always robbed and killed in the usa because they carry cash just because these surfers are gringos people give a shit don't get brainwashed

Your "paisas" are killing EACHOTHER here is the US! Your "paisas" dont get any smarter when they cross the border, your "paisas" bring the ignorant street mentality , your "paisas" have babies at 18 and expect the government to give you a handout , so SCREW your "paisas" who continually terrorize innocent people not only in Mexico but in the US! At least these "gringos" were living life and seeing the world . What were your " paisas" doing? Making easy money selling drugs and killing people with no regard for life or the pursuit of happiness? SCREW YOU!

Random shootings in the usa theaters, pre schools, colleges, terrorism, riots, gangs and drug addicts that kill for a score of dope, cable channels are full of murder crime scene reality shows more newly arrived mexicans get robbed and killed in the usa than the more than 10 million who visit mexico every year

The facking propaganda says"the mexicans, the mexicans! THEY CRIMINAL!!!--AMERICAN STATISTICS, biased and everything can not make up the fact that more mexicans are victims of crime than the crminals, and that most of the crimes on the US are not committed by mexicans either, much less by illegal immigrants, irregardless of what the propaganda says. ..But one or two crimes the US government commit in mexico, facks mexico up for the whole century...

I'm Mexican and I live in Mexico, not in the US as many who post comments here, I would not travel anywhere near our northern states under any circumstance, fuck that shit, you have to watch your back from criminals, police, federal police, army... There's no hope, people over there have some sort of mental illness, not just in that area but the numbers are higher up north due to mentally challenged people supporting their local drug traffickers.

People don't pay attention I guess? Gringos seem to think that they are immune to the violence in Mexico and go and do things like driving around in cartel country late at night? That's just asking for problems because there isn't much on the roads in that area at night except sicarios looking for rivales or people to rob! Mexico is dangerous and anyone going there needs recognize that and be aware!

They probably didn't know that.Probably didn't know what a sicario was.Maybe mainstream media needs to get on this a little bit more.All most tourists know is 20 million Americans go to Mexico and come back and the Mexican people probably wont tell you.Their lips are sealed so how is anyone supposed to know.

Mexico and S. America spread the drugs all over the world. They created all the drug addicts, yet blame everyone else for every single thing. You created it and take zero responsibility. You create the drugs yourself. If you didn't create the drugs, ship them, turn people into addicts, etc.. Then the world would have far less addicts. Yeah sure, someone will create, sell, but never close to this extent. Everything originates at the source. Mexico NEVER takes any responsibility. Just blame everyone else. The majority of all drugs is mexico/south.america fault. No drugs manufactured...no problem.

2:49 Take "responsibility"For the billions of dollars the US gives the mexican governing narco-mierdocracia, the help the US gives in rigging the elections, the harvard or yale or MIT "educated" rateros the US sends to mexico, the drugs the US moves through mexico, the caribbean, or pacific ocean on presidential planes or any planes, and the billions and billions the US banks launder for themselves and others to help kickback their way into ownership of private corporations all over the world...one "casa blanca" at a time...all over LatinAmerica...--Yeah, "take responsibility" easier said than done...pinchi cornutto

Mexico imports poison and imports cheap labor. You screw us with addiction and then suppress our wages. Mexico has done nothing for the US that we could not have done on our own.. But would a business rather pay a shit wage to an illegal or a legal wage? We have labor in the US aside from Mexicans. They're just all on welfare because it pays the same as working the jobs illegals have. Awesome liberal policies we have here in the US. We didn't need illegals from Mexico to build the US and we don't need them now if policies would change. It wasn't until the 70s when illegal immigration got bad. Stop with "who will pick your crops" bs. Robots will soon... Just wait.

Please, por favor , Senor Mexicano , 12:51, DO NOT EVER give up hope. Half the world is going to shit on these new bigger better Mexican drugs but we CANNOT give up all hope. Those people are not just mentally ill , they are drug addicts that will kill for another fix of poison . They are possessed. Mexico and good Mexican people have such a rich history and are the light of my life. This is a giant black hole but somewhere there must be light at the end of the tunnel and giving up all hope just cannot be the answer. Together we must fight against the corruption and evil everywhere at every opportunity. what is life on this earth for? We must always keep an eye open for that peephole of light and go toward it , whilst we keep our guard up . I don't ever underestimate the insecurity anywhere but collectively we must do whatever it takes and I don't think it will be pretty or an easy solution. Viva La Raza .